Creeping Up On Me
by ThisIsItMyLove
Summary: I have seen beautiful before, after all the girls can't seem to get enough of Finnick Odair. Blonde, tall, tanned all of them typically good looking. But there is beautiful and then there is Annie Cresta- The untold tale of our lovers from district four
1. Too Kind To Be A Killer

I awaken in a cold sweat. My body shakes uncontrollably as if trying to rid itself of the nightmare I had failed to escape from. I throw back the rough fabric of my blanket but the heat still manages to embrace me, choking the air from my lungs. I need to breathe. Leaping out of bed I race to the window and hurriedly pull back the thin mesh curtains. Unlatching the catch I push it open and inhale the briny scent of the ocean, the morning breeze tousles my thick bronze hair soothingly like a parent might a child. Sunlight filters lazily into the dingy room, creating intricate patterns on the wall via the rainbow shards of sea glass that hang from pieces of rope from the ceiling. My father had constructed the decorations when I had been a small boy, too small and too naive to fear the reaping. However I fear the reaping now.

I only have to glance down into the harbour by the front of the house to know my father isn't here. His rundown fishing boat 'The Tallulah', named after my late mother, is not tied to its usual spot by our tiny hut. I also know he won't be home until dinner so there is no point in waiting around for him to return. When my mother was alive my father didn't have to go out for so long on the water, he would finish early and we would take some of his catch and cook the fish on the beach together. However now there is no mother for my father to come home to so he often stays out late. I know it's not me he hates to see at the end of everyday day, it's the emptiness in this house that he loathes. Without my mother this place is cold even in the summer. When my father and I cross paths at home we merely acknowledge each other as misguided ghosts looking for a light to take us away from the dark. Except there is no light here anymore, only painful memories because, you see, even though my mother is long gone our feeling for her will never go away. We are trapped somewhere full of longing and broken promises; that is why we both have grown to hate the place we once called home.

My name is Finnick Odair and I train as a career to volunteer in the hunger games. I'm only fourteen so most people from our district assume I'm doing it for glory and women. However the truth is I just want to start over with my father in the victor's village. I want us to be a family again and enjoy my mother's memories instead of wallowing in an infinite depression. My father's too poor to afford a new property and keep us fed and clothed so it's down to me to help us out of the dark. If I can't find a light to follow I will have to ignite my own flame.

I dress quickly and leave the hut, slamming the door behind me. I notice that the docks are busy with fisherman returning from outings upon midnight waters.

"Good morning Finnick!" Mrs Saltsman waves, splattering the jetty with the blood of a trout she is gutting. Her husband, a short balding man who is good friends with my father, emerges from his own boat with more of his catch. He places the net down in front of Mrs Saltsman and wipes his forehead as she reaches down and grabs another fish.

"Good Morning." I reply grinning, all though there is nothing good about it.

"How are you today son?" asks Mr. Saltsman, placing a gentle kiss on his wife's cheek.

"I'm okay." I feel my smile waver slightly.

"Are you ready for next week Finnick?" Mrs Saltsman looks over me with concern from where she is sitting upon her old stool.

"I will have to be, won't I?" My gaze falls over the restless ocean to avoid meeting her sad eyes. Everyone looked at me that way, their eyes swimming with tides of despair.

"Don't worry Finnick, you have the most handsome face in the whole of Panem, you'll easily get sponsors once the games begin." Mr Saltsman says encouragingly. Under other circumstances he might have urged me not to risk my life but I know him and Mrs Saltsman have children whose lives would be spared if I entered. It seems selfish of their father to happily send me to my death but I do not begrudge him for it, I would do the same in order to protect my children.

"Did you say Finnick? Where is he? Odair he is!" Someone leaps over the side of Mr Saltsman's boat and doubles over in a fit of hysterical laughter.

"Yes, very funny Kai. Did you check if there was any damage to the nets or not?" Mr Saltsman asks his son impatiently. At thirteen Kai is the youngest out of the family's children. He is the only other boy in the whole of four who rivals me in height; his mop of curly chestnut hair towers above all the other inhabitants in our district. He's sometimes immature and his smile is a little lopsided but his eyes sparkle with laughter like the dappled sun hitting the sea; I envy him for that, I don't remember the last time I was truly happy.

"Did you SEA what I did there? I'm SHORE you did!" Kai chuckles to himself.

"Your father asked you about the nets." Growls his mother, running the blunt side of her blade down one of her fingers

"Alright don't get so CRABBY! There is a hole in one of them, should I take it to be repaired?" Kai inquires, beaming at us.

"That's kind of you to offer, Finnick why don't you go with him?" Mrs Saltsman hands over a small bucket of the fish to her lanky child to be used as payment for the weavers work.

"I have training with the careers on the beach in a while." I scratch my neck awkwardly and feel the muscles in my arms bunch up.

"Come on Odair it won't take long." Before I can object the ruined net is abandoned in my hands.

"Give the Crestas my love." Kai's mother requests as we begin to walk away from the docks.

"The Crestas?" My brow furrows slightly as I try and recall if I've heard the name before.

Kai nods, he wobbles attempting to balance on the low crumbling wall that separates the pathway from the water's edge.

"Their family suffered from a boating accident a while back. The father, Barak, was injured which prevented him from returning to fishing, he owns a repair shop down the west side of the village now." Kai's wonky smile falters and his eyes become dim for the first time since I've known him.

"Poor guy, he lost his wife only the year before. She had a horrible fall from the top of the Galiena cliffs during a storm and hit her head. The peace keepers reported the cause of death to be drowning. " He shifts the bucket from hand to hand uncomfortably. "According to my mother she was one of the prettiest women in the district and one of the most loved. Our parents had been best friends so naturally Annie and I have played together since we were young." His features soften slightly and his voice becomes tender. His expressions change as often as the weather when he speaks.

"Annie is Barak's only daughter. My father says that when she is older she will be known for her beauty, just like her mother. I believe that she is already much prettier than all the other girls, much nicer too." His cheeks flare red when I raise an eye brow in his direction.

"We're just friends Finnick." He mumbles, blowing hair off of his face.

"I never said otherwise." I reply smoothly.

"Play nice Finny." He shoves me lightly and jumps off the wall as we round the corner which leads us to the village centre.

"You don't win games by playing nicely Kai." I say sternly.

He grunts in response. "Do you think the odds will be in your favour this year?"

"The odds have never been in my favour." I grimace.

"Maybe things will change for you when you win." Kai looks at me hopefully.

"If I win that is Kai." I sigh, stopping so that an older couple can cross over the path in front of us.

"Being positive wouldn't do you any harm." He mutters.

"It does because being positive isn't realistic. I'm going to have to volunteer, that's real. The games are real. The fact I might die is real." I grit my teeth. I'd always known the truth but saying it out loud made the matters only seem so much worse.

"I think you'll win. That's real." Kai's eyes gloss over with a steely determination, glinting like his mothers knife under the midday sun.

"Thanks Kai." His famous lopsided smile spreads across his face again.

"It's alright Odair." He pauses for a second at a cross road before taking a left past the market place. I follow closely behind in order to not become lost among the other citizens scraping to bargain for luxuries like cheese and cures for colds. Kai stops suddenly in front of me and it takes a great effort on my part not to drop the rope I'm carrying when I run into the back of him. The stall he's so transfixed by contains thick crème paper and piles of books. There are books about adventures, machinery, far off lands and many other topics from what I can make out of the pictures. I can't read anything beyond basic instructions which is considered to be impressive; hardly anyone can understand the odd order of lettering in four.

"Can you read Kai?" I ask out of curiosity. He shakes his head.

"My grandparents used to buy me books all the time before they died. However there was a harsh winter once and the fishing grounds were empty so I was forced to sell the paperbacks in order for my family to not starve. I never got the chance to read them before they were gone."

I remember my father telling me about Kai's grandpa. His brother had won the games one year but committed suicide not long after out of guilt. Father said he had gone mad after killing his own twin sister in the games. I don't blame him for wanting to die. A small portion of his winnings went to grandpa Saltsman every week after the funeral. They were hardly rich but they were a lot better off than most. After Kai's own grandpa's death the capital decided to withdraw the payments to the family entirely. Kai's grandma had objected to this, saying it was unfair, that the money was rightfully theirs. She went missing a day later.

"Annie can read though. I like it when she reads to me and the other kids. Her mother was from an upper class family so she had a lot of things like books and pretty dresses which she left to her daughter. " His eyes linger on the store for a moment longer before he strides briskly off. I decide that if I win the games I'll buy books for Kai, he's a good kid so he deserves good things once in a while.

I watch the boy make another sharp left before abruptly halting again. The cobbled stone under my feet is unfamiliar to me, it's strange compared to the dirt tracks I'm used to walking on; I don't even recognise the street. Kai struggles to place his bucket down at an angle where it won't topple over.

"Well this is the shop." He gestures to a quaint little building with wildflowers growing in trays by a large window. Twisted strands of rope hang from the inside of the pane, some form intricate shapes such as mermaids and fish while others are just highly complicated knots. A number of different sized fishing poles are propped against the wall along with broken ores and bits of boat I didn't even know existed.

"It should be open." Kai presses his face against the glass and peers inside. "I don't see anyone though." He shrugs, picks up his bucket and opens the door.

"Hey, wait up." I call after him as he disappears inside. I chase after him being careful to pick my way through the abandoned objects discarded on the floor outside. I pull the faded navy door open, it closes behind me with a gentle thud and a tiny metal bell rings out over the silence.

"Kai?" I whisper. My eyes wander across grubby shelves filled with broken bottles and frayed pieces of string. There are massive book cases stacked with papers and boxes filled with rusty hooks. Dust hangs timelessly in the air; the sun creates constellations with the particles.

"Is anyone here?" I call but there's no reply. I stop for a moment, to consider how late I am for training, when something catches me off guard. I can barely hear it over the quiet but the rhythmic noise is unmistakable. There's soft slow breathing coming from behind me. Someone places a hand on my shoulder.

My response is automatic. Grabbing the hand I twist it behind my attackers back and shove him against the shelving, sending objects crashing to the ground.

"I won't hurt you, I promise." Her voice reminds me of calm waters, the breeze singing through the long beach grass on a summer's day but most of all its steady like a pillar of stone. Then it dawns on me; my attacker is a women. No, her frame is too petite, too fragile, my attacker is a girl. She wasn't the attacker, I was.

"Odair! Is everything alright I heard something I ...swear." Kai shouts skidding out from behind one of the back shelves but he trails off when he sees me.

"What's going on?" His eye brows knit together as he approaches.

"I-I" I stutter trying to form a suitable answer.

"Don't worry; I think I just scared him a little." The girl giggles nervously.

"Odair let her go already." Kai growls at me in a way closely resembling his mother. My hands slip away from the girl's soft skin but before I can speak the lanky boy has placed himself between us.

"Are you okay Annie?" I hear him ask her. Annie. Annie Cresta. Annie Cresta whose father owns the repair shop.

"Honestly Kai I'm fine, it's nice to see you." I hear the smile in the girl's, Annie's, voice.

"Yeah it's nice to see you too. Hey have you grown?" Kai chuckles.

"I'm no taller than the last time you saw me. Stop teasing me. " She giggles again, I imagine the sun.

"So how can I help you today Mr. Saltsman?" she asks.

"I'm afraid we have a hole in our net again Miss Cresta." Kai sighs stepping away and gesturing towards my arms.

My eyes shift away from broken glass on the floor in order for my upcoming apology to seem more sincere. But the words never come; my tongue's too heavy for my sand paper mouth. She looks up at me with wide eyes as green and as infinite as the depths of the ocean. They shine with curiosity like water under starlight. Thick dark hair falls in gentle curls down to her slim waste like waves upon the shore. Freckles sprinkle over her nose like sea spray. I have seen beautiful before, after all the girls can't seem to get enough of Finnick Odair. Blonde, tall, tanned all of them typically good looking. But there is beautiful and then there is Annie Cresta.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" she smiles and I feel my skin wash over with warmth. I out stretch my arms to her, breaking the eye contact to stop any chances of me gawking.

"Don't mind Finnick. He's just a little jumpy with the reaping being so close. He's sorry about the mess too, I'm sure he'll pay for the damage." I glance over to Kai thankfully but he's not looking at me, he only has eyes for Annie.

"I understand; I should know not to creep up on people, it's my fault really." I feel her gaze shift on to me and my eyes snap up to meet hers.

"Thank you." She slides the rope away from my hands and tosses it over her shoulder carelessly.

"So this is the famous Finnick the girls all talk about?" she asks Kai, he nods winking.

Before I can react she has closed the little space between us. I feel her small body against me, her breath mingles with mine. Slowly she reaches out her hand and places a slender finger under my chin. I watch curiously as she examines my face, feeling unusually self conscious. Kai tenses from behind he, I watch him edge closer.

"Annie." He warns. "Odair can have a nasty bite if you get too close. You know, like those baby crabs you tried to pet once." He laughs nervously. She ignores him and continues to study my face.

"You look too kind to be a killer." She says softly after a long time, dropping her hand from my face.

"Excuse me?" I scoff taking a step away from her.

"Annabel!" the sudden bellowing vibrates in the thick air of the tiny shop. I watch the girl wince as she turns to face a beaded curtain I hadn't noticed at the back of the room. Kai picks up the bucket he had abandoned in his rush to get to us and begins shifting it uncomfortably again between his sweaty palms.

"Thank you for coming. Kai I'll bring the net over once I'm finished." Annie stutters.

"I heard something break and it woke me up, you know I hate to be woken up." The faceless voice slurs.

"Annie, I'll stay its fine." Kai whispers. Annie shakes her head sadly taking the fish off of him.

"He's been drinking again hasn't he?" Kai hisses at her as he shuffles towards the exit.

"See you later." She shoves him out of the open door with unexpected strength from someone of her size. She turns to me and pushes dark strands of hair from her pale skin.

"It was nice to meet you Finnick Odair." I like the way she says my name.

"Goodbye Annie Cresta." I reply.

"Annabel!" The voice yells again.

"Coming father!" She calls. The corners of her lips twitch into an uncertain smile and then she is gone.

As I step outside the sun has turned the pavement golden under its glow. Kai is leant against the wall along with the fishing poles waiting for me.

"Why did we have to leave so soon?" I ask leaning next to him. He sighs and runs his hand through his messy hair.

"Her father isn't a very pleasant man. I think she was trying to save us from experiencing the worse side of him." He laughs, but it's cold and forced.

"I see." I run my hands through my own hair and digest this new information about the Cresta family. "I can understand why you're so fond of his daughter now though."

"Annie, she's different isn't she?" his smile becomes more genuine.

I think about Annie. The girl with a voice as strong as stone yet as soft as a feather. The girl with eyes the colour of ocean depths yet skin as pale as sunlight. The girl who uses words as little as ripples yet they are words that hold meanings as large as tidal waves.

_You look too kind to be a killer_

"Yes. She's different."


	2. Empty Minutes

A/N: I will be alternating the stories POV between Annie and Finnick

I watch through the shop window as they walk away. Kai says something that makes Finnick laugh but his languid smile slips away the minute he thinks no one is looking. Finnick was already broken like the sea glass scattered around my bare feet. When I looked into his fathomless eyes it made me feel sad because I know what it's like to feel that way, disconnected, lost and lonely. I think once you're broken sometimes it's impossible to be fixed. Nobody taught me this when I was young yet it never fails to surprise me as I get older. I've watched people break one by one in my life. I used to wonder when my time would come but then I realised it might have already.

Kai turns back to glance at me, a wonky smile spreads across his dirt streaked face. He isn't like Finnick and I, he's ignorant to all the pain that surrounds him. His heart is so pure. Kai sees the world through childlike eyes that reflect the sky above him. To Kai everyday is an adventure, a chance to grow, a chance to learn something new and a chance to make a change. He once told me that everything is beautiful in its own way; I wish someone would show me what he sees because I can't seem to find beauty on my own.

Finnick was rather beautiful though.

"Annabel!" I hate it when my father screams. I wave to Kai enthusiastically hoping that he will be satisfied and continue on down to the beach. He does, but for some reason I'm disappointed. Hastily I push my way through the beaded curtain leading to the back of the shop and the rest of my home. The tiny spheres smack angrily against the wall in my wake, like hailstones upon the deck of a ship. A storm is coming, I can feel it.

"Marina?" father asks. His voice is slurred, from drink or sleep I am not sure.

"No, it's Annie, your daughter." I whisper, closing his bedroom door as quietly as possible. The small window is boarded and the air is stale with the smell of cheap liquor and tobacco. I can make out my father's bulky frame lying on top of the stained bed sheets. He blinks his watery blood shot eyes repeatedly as though he's only just seeing me.

"Oh right you, I thought..." he trails off and reaches for the flask he has hidden under his pillow, taking a large gulp.

"You thought I was mother again didn't you? You know she isn't coming back." I sigh but he only grunts in response before taking another sip and belching loudly.

"How is your leg today? Can you walk?" I ask, blowing a stray curl away from my face.

"I'm not going to try if that's what you bleeding want." He hiccups and groans clutching his stomach.

"The healer said-" I start.

"I don't give a damn about what the stupid woman said. I've got my own medicine." He laughs and an empty bottle falls from his side and on to the floor. I watch it roll away under the wardrobe. In its absence a moment of silence passes between us.

"What in Neptune's name was that damn noise anyway?" my father asks, rubbing his temples in circular motions.

"A customer had an accident, knocked some things off the shelves." I fiddle with the rope hanging over my shoulder, begin to tie simple knots.

"Did you make them pay?" My father leans up on his elbows; I can smell his breath, a mixture of bile and alcohol.

"No." I mutter.

"What?" He roars, he's so loud, like thunder. His hands are like lightning; they strike and grab me by the collar of my simple blouse, tugging me closer. He brings his lips to my ear; it takes a lot of self control for me not to cringe.

"This ain't a charity Annabel Cresta. You're a stupid little girl." I feel dark clouds gathering in my eyes but I refuse to let them release turbulence. I won't cry, not now, not in front of him.

"I know, I-" He tightens his grip on my white shirt, pulls me down.

"What?" he spits again, giving me a rough shake.

"It was a career father. Finnick Odair, you must have heard of him. I couldn't ask a career for money, not after everything he's going to be doing for the district." I liked the boy too; there was something amazingly different about him, all though I don't say this out loud. A shiver runs down my spine but I'm not even cold. My body burns hot with revulsion.

"A career you say? Yes, Finnick Odair, I was looking at the odds of him winning this year. I thought I might place a bet." He grins savagely; his fingers slip away. He flops onto the bed again and turns his back from me.

"Just make sure you clean up the mess." He groans again. I watch his hands grip the sheets and I wonder what they would do if they got hold of my neck.

"Yes father." I mumble and head quickly for the door.

"Marina, maybe we could go out on the boat again soon. We could take Annie; she loves the water you know." His voice is far away in another time and place; he wheezes once more and then falls silent.

"That would be nice." I whisper and exit from the room without another word.

My father's heart is hollow from the space my mother used to fill, but it's heavy in his chest. Everything about him was so broken after her death; it was almost like it was him that had taken that horrific fall in her place. The first time I saw my father cry was at my mother's funeral. Before our lives had been a montage of sun and the swell of the sparkling sea but now they've been replaced with dark stormy waters which I cannot brave.

At first father tried to help us be happy again, he sold the boat and brought the shop, he said we could run it together. I could weave he could do the rest of the repairs. For awhile it had even worked, we began to slowly heal with the sands of time. However one day when I came home from the beach I had found him sitting at the kitchen table, running his hands through his greying hair, a glass of something as red as blood was held to his chapped lips. He had asked me when my mother was coming home, the sight was so sad it had made me cry. The next day when I told him what had happened he had vowed not to touch a drop of alcohol again, but he did. He broke his promise more than once and each time the effects were worse. He said it made the pain go away but I didn't believe him, I never will. The man inside that room isn't my father, just an empty shell like the ones I collected as a child. I'm still waiting from him to come back to me, I hope one day he will, but I don't know how much longer I can stand living like this. I feel like I'm hardly living at all.

Empty minutes tick by and I begin to count each second I feel alone. I feel lonely for hours. I have to keep myself busy to stop unwanted thoughts surfacing. So I sit among the broken glass and slide Kai's rope from shoulder. Carefully I pick two frayed strands in the net that need repairing and begin. My fingers move effortlessly tying intricate knots. There is nothing on my mind except for the pattern I'm making, the rough feel of the string. By the time I've finished its early afternoon.

I hang the net on the shelf behind me and begin to pick up the fragments of shattered items, collecting them in the palms of my tiny hands. I don't notice all the cuts they give me until they begin to bleed. Everything stains red. It reminds me off the sharp blades of sadness that sometimes slice through my mind, deep and quick. I sigh, tossing the pieces on to the counter in the hope of being able to restore some of them later. I need to get out of here before I go insane. Maybe I'm already a little insane.

I retrieve the rope and empty Kai's fish into the cold water barrel. My hands still sting but not enough for them to be painful.

"Father I'm leaving to do some work." I shout into the darkness of my home but there is no reply. I wonder sometimes if he truly hears me at all over the sound of his own silent screaming. Shrugging I lift Kai's bucket in one hand and with the net in the other exit the shop.

The salt tinged air embraces me, like my mother used to so many years ago. It's pulling me home, not back inside walls, but towards the sand and the open sea. Suddenly I'm not sad anymore; I'm free, like the gulls flying over the cliffs. A smile graces my lips; I breathe in and sigh contently. I let the wind take me like a feather on the breeze to the place where I belong. To the beach where Kai and I used to play as young children, to the place he is waiting for me now. Yet for some reason his face isn't the only one I wish to see. My mind is swimming with tanned skin and vivid ocean eyes as I head hopefully down to the shore.

A/N: Thank you for reading, please review! **Disclaimer:** All rights for anything hunger games related belong to Suzanne Collins, as with any other chapter.


	3. Not Saying Anything

I watch the vast limitless expanse that is the ocean. The sea simmers with indomitable power. It embodies the patient and calm; kissing the golden sand with liquid lips. The silhouette of a tiny vessel bobs peacefully on the belt of the horizon; I miss sailing. I miss the feeling of the gentle waves lapping at the side of the boat, the ropes of the net in my hands and the wind running through my damp hair. Most of all I miss fishing with my father; I miss his eyes, that brimmed with the wisdom of our people, as he wielded a trident effortlessly into the water. I could watch the ocean until it gang dry however the pressure being applied to my ribs is becoming unbearable.

"Odair are we going to start practice or what? In the arena the other tributes won't hesitate to cut your throat and if I have to wait any longer neither will I." Lana snaps, prodding the end of her spear painfully into my chest. Her upper lip pulls back into a sneer which reveals a row of gleaming teeth.

"You'd have to beat me in order to kill me Conch and no matter how much we train that is never going to happen." I shrug. Her cheeks slowly turn as red as her hairline and she makes an odd rumbling sound in the back of her throat. I imagine steam erupting from her ears like the smoke emitted from the Capitol train as it pulls up into the station. She raises the head of the spear to my throat menacingly, pushing it against my skin in the same way other girls would like to push themselves against my body.

"Shock me and say something intelligent for once or arm up fight me." Her eyes crackle with the colours of an open flame as she draws the weapon back and points it towards my left. I glace over to a make shift stand fashioned from driftwood. Upon it are arrays of horrific rust embalmed weapons. There are knives, hooks and tridents of all shapes and sizes. Kai is a few feet away stabbing the air with a tiny dagger; his lack of practise is obvious through his embarrassingly poor technique. When I turn back to face Lana she is watching him in disapproval, disgust evidently pulling down all her features and forming a scowl.

"Odair stop that idiot friend of yours before he hurts himself." She sticks her pointed chin in the air and saunters away. Her figure is lean and agile, a good combination for combat. Perhaps the odds aren't in my favour after all.

I sigh deeply, inhaling the sea air and the dry heat from the afternoon sun. The sand is warm and wielding beneath my feet as I approach the stall.

"Kai?" I call over to him; he startles and nearly drops the tarnished blade onto his foot. Strolling over to me I notice how short the time is for him to cover the distance.

"Finnick did you see that? If I wanted to be career I'd win the games for sure." He laughs; his eyes glinting as he traces the knife along the top of the wood, carving a thin and lethal line.

"Kai you nearly sent the damn thing flying back into your own head. I wouldn't have even needed to disarm you, I could have just waited for you to trip and stab yourself." I growl, running my finger along the cold steel of a large hook; admiring the sharp point at the end.

"You were thinking about the easiest way you could kill me?" He asks; the sun light in his eyes clouds over.

I pause and consider my answer. Of course I didn't want to murder Kai. He could be irritating with his awful jokes and plain stupidity but I didn't loath him enough to stop his heart from beating. However I would be lying to him if I denied that I had pictured his death at my hands.

"Yes I was thinking about that I'm sorry." I say, removing my touch from the vicious spike and placing it gently on his shoulder.

"It's okay Finnick. It's a good thing, I think. It means you're ready to do whatever is necessary in the next few weeks. You're thinking like a career. You're thinking like a victor." He claps me on the back encouragingly but he doesn't smile again.

I nod and turn back to the weaponry. Kai places his knife down silently on the table. I clear my throat.

"What do you think I should go with today?" I motion towards the various pieces of warfare. He examines the choices eagerly, poking around switch blades and arrows. Finally his eyes come to rest on a trident. He picks it up and weighs it in his grasp. When he's satisfied he holds it out to me.

"Deadly just like you." He smirks and takes a step back as I whirl it easily around my head; the steel is cold beneath my grip in contrast with the scorching heat.

"Just like me." I repeat.

I had been taught to use a trident as soon as I was old enough to swim. It was tradition in four to possess at least basic fishing skills. My father was known in his younger years for having exceptional success with the tool and as his son I quickly acquired advanced skills myself. Gigging, the process of hunting small fish with a spear had been an exciting occupation for me as a child. It used to be a fun like a game. However the type of game I'll be playing soon will be no fun at all.

"Odair, are you ready?" Lana yells from across the fighting area, which is marked out by four posts knocked into the sand.

"I don't need to be ready, I'll still win." I feign yawning as I enter the court. Kai stays on the other side of the markers and sits down clumsily on the ground. I watch Lana's grip tighten on her spear as she points it at me, I mirror her body position, and we're almost close enough for our weapons to touch.

"Are you sure you don't want to back out? There are no rules and I don't want to bruise your ego when I beat you." She asks her voice slick with false sweetness like the honey I had received as a birthday present one year.

I snigger in response. Lana's amber eyes blaze like a wildfire. She draws back her spear and brings it down heavily against the handle of my trident, pushing it against my chest horizontally. It's my move.

I feel adrenaline moving through my veins, my muscles begin to tense and my heart beats faster. I am no longer a fisherman, a charmer or even a career. I am nothing but reaction, fight and impulse. I am a survivor.

Grabbing both ends of my tool and using all my strength I force my opponent back a few paces. My height gives me the advantage and I loom over Lana applying all my weight on to her arms via the spear. I watch her biceps tremble as she staggers under the pressure. But she's quick and soon she's ducking out of my hold and away from the prongs of my weapon. I lunge but she dodges my attacks with ease. I swing again and again however she avoids injury without much effort. We circle each other carefully then she strikes. The blade of her weapon slices through the shirt covering my forearm but doesn't draw blood. Lana cries out in frustration and stabs at me wildly again although this time I'm prepared and block the assault. She recklessly attempts to skewer my feet. I leap into the air and land on the head of the weapon before she has time to pull it away. She tugs ferociously and snarls trying to free the spear from under me. While she is distracted I swing my own trident round the back of her struggling body and make contact with her knees. There is a loud crack and she falls gracelessly face first onto the ground. Grabbing her spear I throw it out of the area and point the trident directly above her chest. She recovers quickly but the sand has engulfed her features, she blinks and splutters unattractively trying to rid herself of the particles. Blindly in a desperate attempt she kicks at my stomach with her long slender legs but misses. Eventually she stills allowing me to rest my foot on her back. Gingerly I poke her with the sharp prongs of my weapon. Kai cheers.

"I guess I win then?" I say smugly imitating the sickly tone Lana had spoken with before.

"You're such a cocky git." Lifting her head she turns and spits at me. Her saliva lands on the toe of my boot.

"That is not a very lady like habit Miss Conch." I waggle a finger at her grinning, rubbing my shoe on the back of her shorts.

"I would slap you but I don't believe in hitting animals." This time a genuine laugh escapes from my lips at her outburst. I step off and lower my weapon allowing Lana to sit up.

"You've learnt from this session then." I say smugly offering her my free hand to help her to her feet. She snorts and sticks her nose up at my outstretched fingers.

"Oh and what have I been taught exactly?" she challenges brushing the sand off of her dull grey shirt.

"You can't beat Finnick Odair." I laugh at her outraged expression as she smacks away my hand like it's a flea jumping towards her from a mutt.

"Stay down there then see if I-"

"Kai?" Although it's not my name she's calling my head whips round instantly trying to find the voices owner. A tiny girl is leaping bare footed across the dazzling sand. Her smile is as bright as the sun and her eyes are glistening like the surface of the sea.

"Hey Annie, I'm over here!" Kai shouts springing up and waving her over to the training area. His face breaks out into a wide grin like waves upon a rock. I watch as he opens his arms to the girl and an odd feeling begins swimming inside of my stomach.

I'm so distracted by Annie that I'm not prepared for the sudden pain that attacks my lower half. One moment I'm standing and the next my vision of something beautiful is replaced with boring blue sky. Dazed and massaging the back of my knees I manage to pull myself into a seated position.

"What was that for?" I growl as Lana rolls around with laughter. Her waves of fiery hair have tangled to form a hellish crown atop her head. I notice that one of her pale hands remains clenched in a fist.

"Just putting what I learnt into practice. I'm afraid your unbeatable theory doesn't seem to be true." She laughs again and moves to perch beside me.

"Doesn't Lana mean calm? I don't think it suits you very well. Perhaps something vengeful would go with you better." I grumble picking sand off my lap.

"My name means calm waters but we all know how quickly the sea can change. How quickly everything changes." Her lips tilt into a small smile. She looks at me from under thick lashes; her eyes are like a sunset but sadder. At sixteen Lana can be extremely childish for her age yet she seems to have wisdom beyond her years. It's like her soul is as playful as a flame but as ancient as the ocean. Sure, she's rowdy, boisterous and rude but I wouldn't like her if she wasn't. Despite our banter I like to think that we're almost friends. Lana understands me better than anyone because I think deep down she's scared too. We're all scared.

"Are you ready Odair?" She asks for the second time today, staring at my blank expression intently. I don't need her to clarify what she's enquiring about. Am I ready to leave my home next week? Am I ready to become a killer? Am I ready to die?

"No Lana, I'll never be ready. Are you?" It's a relief to answer honestly for the first time in the past few months. She brushes the remaining sand off of my back before nodding slowly.

"I'm not afraid of death, other things frighten me more." I watch her scan the beach. The other sparring careers had spread themselves out across the coast over the course of the morning. I recognize a few of them. Corella and her twin sister Aqua are performing a complicated martial arts routine, kicking high above their heads with ease. Alta is sat carving weapons out of spare driftwood. Dylan, Lana's eighteen year old boyfriend, is effortlessly throwing wickedly curved blades at targets. However she is not looking at him but in the opposite direction. Two skinny girls who couldn't be older than twelve are chasing each other between the practises and giggling hysterically as they trip over their own feet. Nalu, a pretty blonde, is a skilled fighter for such a young age. I had been her mentor when she has first begun training only a few months ago. I don't recognize the other child though but the thick waves of fiery hair are all too familiar.

"Is she your sister?" The girl falls again and Nalu returns from running to help her to her feet.

"Her name's pearl. It suits her well; she's very precious, especially to me." Lana looks away blinking rapidly.

"She's so small and pale like a pearl too." She finishes laughing shakily.

"I haven't seen her here." I watch as Pearl begins to dart off again.

"She only turned twelve last week. I had a dream that she was reaped on the night of her birthday and taken away from me. She died at the cornucopia before she had even stepped off her platform. I watched as her blood stained the ground." Her eyes well up again. I had never seen her be so raw, so broken.

"That's why I train not just for my sister but for all the people I know won't stand a chance in arena. At least if I go in their place I have a chance of winning."

I think of Kai stabbing the air awkwardly. He would be dead in an instant.

"You have more than a chance of winning Lana; I believe you'll be a victor." I say quietly.

"Careful Odair, someone might think you actually like me." She snorts but she has started smiling again.

"Perish the thought Conch." I roll my eyes dramatically and edge away from her.

"Who's your girl then?" She ponders after a comfortable silence passes between us. I hadn't noticed that my eyes had found Annie of their own accord. She's talking to Kai in a hushed whisper as she passes him the repaired net. His brow furrows in concern but he says something that makes her laugh and it eases the worry from her face. I wonder what he said to make her so happy.

"I...don't know what you're talking about." I manage finally.

"Finnick you've been gawking at her for the past five minutes. Girls practically throw themselves at you and you don't bat an eyelid but when you heard her, not even calling your name, you were put off the fight entirely. You let your guard down, a rookie mistake which is unlike you. Who's your girl?" Lana repeats again, I can feel my cheeks flushing so I turn my head away.

"Her name is Annie Cresta but she's not my girl. I only met her today." I huff, blowing bronze hair away from my face.

"Are they together?" Lana asks motioning towards Kai.

"What? No." I scoff, raking my hands through the sand.

"Why don't you invite her to the festival then?"

The bonfire festival is an annual tradition of district four. It's held every year on the beach the night before the reaping. Originally it had been called bone fire day, a time for mourning; a deceased tribute's families would throw their ashes in the flames. However now it is more of a celebration for volunteering careers. The blazing fires represent the hope of the people who want their children to return home. It gives everyone a chance to forget about the games and instead enjoy themselves, perhaps for the last time.

Lana raises an eyebrow at me before leaping to her feet.

"Well now's your chance Odair." She whispers before winking and jogging off to tackle Dylan.

I glance over to Annie. Kai is rolling the ropes up under his arm and gesturing to the beaten path that leads back to town. Annie smiles, taking a step back from him and shaking her head. Her hair flies around her waist like ribbons in the wind. The tall gangly boy shrugs his shoulders and turns to me for the first time since Lana had been face down in the sand.

"Odair I'm heading back now, I'll see you round!" He shouts maintaining his lop sided grin.

"Bye Saltsman." I yell back. I watch him leave. When he reaches the top of the slope he waves, Annie jumps enthusiastically. My heart jumps along with her. Then the mop of chestnut hair is gone.

The freckled girl spins suddenly to look at me; her long flowing skirt sways around her slim legs. I stare up at her from the ground, not daring to move. Not wanting to scare her again. Slowly she moves closer; my breath becomes shallower with every step she takes.

"Hello Finnick Odair." She says shyly, staring out into the ocean which looks shallow compared to her eyes.

"Hello Annie Cresta." I reply as she slides down beside me. A blush creeps across her cheeks and I impulsively want to feel the heat of her beneath my fingers. I sit on my hands to stop them reaching out and touching her.

"I'm sorry about being rude earlier and asking you to leave." She says finally, biting her bottom lip.

"Oh don't worry about that, sorry about all the damage I caused." I say sheepishly.

"It'll mend." Annie lifts her face to the sun. Her glance flits over me resting on my exposed forearm. Gently she lifts her slender fingers and examines the hole Lana created in my shirt.

"Would you like me to fix this for you?" She offers. Her hand accidently makes contact with my skin and she pulls it back rapidly as though the contact had shocked her. I certainly felt a spark.

"Oh thanks." I pull the garment over my head and see her immediately look the other way. Her face turns redder than before and I feel bad for making her uncomfortable. I pass the fabric over to her and she holds it in her lap, twisting it into shapes.

"You're good at weaving and things aren't you? I guess I don't have the patience to learn." I mumble.

"My mother taught me; perhaps I could show you some simple patterns one day." Annie smiles and my stomach makes its own knots.

"Yeah I'd like that." I smile too for the first time in years and it feels wonderful. Annie makes me feel wonderful and I can't explain why.

"I better go get my thread and make a start then. I'll drop it off at your house when I'm done. Kai said you live next door to him so I should be able to find you." Standing she straightens her skirt she starts to walk away.

"Annie!" I call after her. She turns around startled and nearly drops my shirt.

_Would you like to go to the bonfire festival with me? _ Say it already.

"Would you... would you um like to have dinner if you bring my shirt later?" What? No that wasn't what I wanted damn it.

"That would be lovely." Annie beams. Okay dinner is a start I guess.

"Um that's great! Bye till then I guess." I stutter. Then she skips off and away from the beach leaving a trail of sand in her wake.

The minute she was gone I didn't feel so wonderful anymore. I should have just asked her to the bonfire like Lana had suggested. Inviting her to dinner was alright but it seemed to say thank you rather than I want you. As I picked up my trident and headed towards the waters I couldn't help but wonder what was worse: saying something and wishing you had not or not saying anything and wishing you had.

Disclaimer: I do not own the hunger games, all rights go to Suzanne Collins. Please review! There will be more Finnick and Annie in the up coming chapters. 


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